Chapter 500: The Game Begins

An old man with white hair, white eyebrows, and a white beard had a head that seemed almost real, not like a phantom, and was enormous, like a mountain, floating high in the sky.
“In the realm of cultivation, the late Yuan Ying stage is considered the peak of cultivation. Since you have come to this realm, you must abide by its laws!”
His words surprised everyone in the valley: Did he not know that the rules of this realm had completely changed?
Everyone could guess that it must have been this old man who imposed the cultivation restrictions. As a result, few dared to speak to him; everyone remained silent, filled with anxiety.
Of all of them, Princess Xueyu was the bravest. She raised her voice toward the sky and said, “I dare to say that the rules are no longer valid.”
“That has nothing to do with me!”
The old man glared fiercely and roared, “Within my domain, I decide all rules. Whatever I say is law! If you dare to defy me, go ahead and try.”
Princess Xueyu was speechless and realized that he had no intention of reasoning with her at all.
“I’ve been lonely for hundreds of millions of years. Today, at last, I’ve caught you little ants, who can bring me some fun. Hahaha…”
The old man laughed arrogantly, his expression showing a nearly insane madness, as if his mental state was abnormal. “I’ve prepared many games for you little ants. I hope you enjoy them, and I’ll enjoy watching you suffer as well.”
Suddenly, the old man’s appearance changed drastically—his face turned into that of a demonic, grotesque head—as he roared, “Is there anyone who doesn’t want to play these games? You have the right to refuse, but the consequence will be a miserable death. Hahaha, that’s all, hahaha…”
His shrill, unpleasant laughter echoed across the wilderness, creating strong winds that stirred up dust and sand in the valley.
No one in the valley dared to use their defensive energy to block the dust; they could only cover their mouths and noses and squint their eyes. In moments, they were all covered in red dust, looking disheveled and miserable.
Many lamented inwardly: This is the end. We’ve clearly fallen into the hands of a madman—one with terrifying power…
If he truly is a madman, there’s no point in reasoning with him. His actions can’t be measured by ordinary logic, and no one can predict what he’ll do next.

The Snow Jade Fairy kept a covert eye on Su Che and the others, noticing that they were treated roughly the same as her group, with no special favors given to them. In the fierce wind, Su Che and the others also dared not use their protective energy to shield themselves from dust in front of the old man’s head. Yet Su Che was the boldest—immediately taking out a thick cloak to wrap Tian Yin tightly from head to toe and holding her in his arms, unwilling to let her get even a speck of dust on her. Tian Yin, like a fragile little girl, allowed him to handle her as he wished. Under such careful care, she felt only warmth and sweetness in her heart, unconcerned about her current situation or what might happen next.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh…

After the storm subsided, the head in the sky reverted to that of an old man with white hair. He roared, “The first game will begin soon. Three thousand li due due south lies a temple. The top ten who enter that temple first will receive generous rewards; the bottom ten, who fall behind, are nothing but trash—I’ll make them die a miserable death.”

“You ants, listen well! The rule is that you must walk—flying is not allowed, not even jumping. If anyone lifts both feet off the ground at the same time, it’s a violation, and they too will die a miserable death.”

“The game starts! You may set off now! The last ten will be executed in a horrible way—hahaha…”

The giant head in the sky then disappeared.

“A temple three thousand li due due south?”

Many people murmured at the same time, “But how can we determine direction in such a special place?”

Everyone knew that different planets had different conventions for directions, and the same was true for different spatial worlds. Often, if you tried to determine directions based on your own habits, figuring out east, west, south, and north, asking the local natives would reveal that things were completely different—your determined directions could be wildly off. There was no pattern or experience to rely on here; one had to follow the local ‘direction standards.’

Thus, before setting off, figuring out the correct direction became a major challenge for everyone. For example, at that moment, at least several hundred people brought out various advanced magical instruments to determine direction, yet their conclusions varied—some said it was due south, while others claimed it was in another direction. Dozens of answers came in from all sides.

Su Che and the others did the same—using everything from advanced magical instruments to the simplest compasses—yet the results still differed.

“Which way is due south?” Su Che asked softly. “Tianyin, do you have any idea?”
Tianyin shook her head and replied gently, “Different planets or spaces have entirely different definitions of directions. What we consider south might be considered north by the locals. It’s purely a matter of convention—there’s no logical reason behind it. On their planet, it’s been defined that way for countless years. If you want to survive or do things here, you must follow their definition.”
“Yes, master,” Hengyi added. “Especially since this place is clearly someone’s private domain. Who decides which way is south is entirely up to them. No matter how valid an outsider’s reasoning might be, it can’t override their decision.”
Su Che nodded, his gaze falling on the Snow Jade Fairy, and he smiled silently. “If the sky falls, there are tall ones to hold it up. We don’t need to worry about this.”
A hundred feet away, the Snow Jade Fairy sensed Su Che’s gaze acutely. She quickly turned her head and met his gaze, her eyes conveying indescribable emotions. Yet she soon lowered her head again and continued fiddling with the Broken Barrier Sky Disk in her hands.
A few breaths later, while the others were still arguing about directions, the Snow Jade Fairy called out, “Everyone, I’ve determined due south in this space. Those who trust me may follow me.”
With that, she turned and headed toward the lowest exit in the valley. Of course, the so-called ‘exit’ was merely something that looked like an exit.
The Great Perfection-stage powerhouses like Li Jiu had no objections and all followed the Snow Jade Fairy in that direction.
Although under the current circumstances, these Great Perfection-stage cultivators could only exert the combat strength of late Yuan Ying stage, they were still the leaders among them. Thus, the over 1,100 people from the Spirit Realm had no further objections and rushed over in a rush.
“Let’s go, follow them.”
Su Che also made a prompt decision without hesitation.
That Snow Jade Fairy could establish such prestige in the Spirit Realm; she must have her merits. At this moment, Su Che chose to trust her as well.